Where It All Began!
For my first-ever blog, I wanted to write about the story of where it all begins: the journey and transition from living in Mexico to eventually moving to the U.S. Often, as I walk through the SMC, I like to think, "These people have no idea how crazy I looked with muddy pants and dirty boots as I cleaned the cow pen, listening to corridos."
Every so often, I like to remember where I grew up and where I am today, as it keeps me humble and grateful and motivates me to keep working hard. I want to remember my childhood in Mexico when I dreamed of what the U.S. was like. I loved watching Hollywood movies as I sat on my uncle's beloved couch because it would put my imagination to work as I'd imagine and dreamt of the privileged life residents must have had, the fancy and massive mansions, the luxurious cars, and the green dollars on their wallets ;I thought people were rich as soon as they were in American territory. I wholeheartedly believed that only the lucky could be in such an unreal place.
My mother always planted in me a seed of hope that one day I would be like those people and that the U.S was the place where dreams and the American dream come true, as you can imagine, no matter what I was doing, whether playing in the mud, on my way to school, taking care of my "babies" and even while making tortillas, I'd imagine myself finally speaking the "so fancy" language that those people in the movies spoke (English). As I did, I had imaginary conversations in English (it was all gibberish), but I wholeheartedly believed that someday, it would all be true.
One day while on a phone call with my mother, she said, "Mija, ya tengo los boletos, porfin ya se vienen" (translated). "Mija, I have the plane tickets; you guys are finally coming." When I heard those words, I felt joy in my heart, but at the same time, a knot in my throat, as I had heard those words year after year, but they had never come true. I did not want to get my hopes up to be disappointed again, but little did I know that 2014 was the year things would take a turn for the better.
I spent my last month in Mexico enjoying at the fullest, either in school, where my teacher and classmates said their final goodbye when each of them stood in a line and gave me a hug that warmed my heart, or in playing with Nicki (the cat I rescued). The morning of my departure felt heavy, and as I packed my small backpack with a few clothes, I felt tears coming down my cheeks because I knew that the only valuable thing I could take with me was the memories; the rest no longer mattered. The only person who stayed to say goodbye was my aunt, as everyone had continued their day like nothing was changing. When I finally hopped into the cab, I looked back from the car window, and part of me was in pain because I knew that there was no going back and who knows if I would ever go back, but part of me also felt some relief. I was super excited because it was my first time hopping on a plane, and I did not know what to expect; when I wasn't throwing up, I was thinking about my neighbors and what they would say once they found out I was in El Norte. After the scary, long process of getting to the U.S, I finally arrived in San Diego; the woman who was driving looked at me through the rear mirror and said, "Ya estas del otro lado" (translation) "You are on the other side (USA)." When I peaked through the window, all I could see were the city lights, which amazed me as I had lived up until that point in a pueblito (small town) and had never seen such a beautiful view; the moment I met with my sister again, all the anxiety in my heart vanished. Excitingly, the next long-awaited day finally came as I reunited with my mother after six years; I was relieved; words could not describe what I was feeling as my life had changed in one day.! November 26 this year, marks nine years since I arrived in the U.S., and I still cannot put into words how grateful I am for God, who transformed my life and continues to bless me in so many unexpected ways, and who continues to refine me from a caterpillar into a monarch butterfly.
